From anchovy to wolffish, Mark Bittman, the executive editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine, presents fish and shellfish by name, offering discussions on preparation and presentation along with sumptuous recipes. Bittman proposes everything from traditional fare--Dungeness crab salad and marinated grilled salmon--to more complex dishes like curried mussels and raw sea bass salad. The more than 500 recipes are tried-and-true, and any cook with access to a decent fish market is advised to take full advantage of Bittman's expert and substantial overview. The book won the 1995 Julia Child Cookbook Award in the Single Subject Category.


From Publishers Weekly
Bittman organizes this more than ample book into short sections devoted to individual fish: technical information on how to handle a lobster, for instance, is combined with consumer buying tips, then followed by nine recipes. Usefully, the author, executive editor of Cook's Illustrated , holds his commentary down to a sober minimum--he doesn't often opt for chat or reader entertainment. Instead, unveiling the basics about 70 fish, he provides tried-and-true fare for the table--Dungeness crab salad, marinated grilled salmon--interspersed with more unusual offerings: raw sea bass salad; curried mussels; salmon scallops with garlic confit. Anyone with decent access to a fish market will appreciate (and come to rely on) this substantial overview. Photos not seen by PW . BOMC HomeStyle Book Club alternate; Food and Wine Books selection; first serial to Self magazine. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Here is yet another fish cookbook, but this is a particularly good one. Bittman, executive editor of Cook's Illustrated, has written a very user-friendly guide to what is still an unknown area for many home cooks. He provides more how-to illustrations than most books, along with informative but approachable descriptions on buying and preparing fish. He includes more than 70 types of fish and shellfish, organized alphabetically (no confusing subcategories here for the uninitiated); each section starts with the relevant particulars (common names, common forms, buying tips, etc.), followed by a more detailed description, ranging from several paragraphs to several pages in length. The recipes-more than 500-are simple, varied, and unintimidating. Highly recommended. [BOMC HomeStyle alternate selection; Food & Wine Books selection.]Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


New York Times
. . . [Bittman writes with] thoroughness and authority. . .


From Booklist
Bittman provides enough information on 70 different ocean and freshwater types of fish to make wise shopping and cooking decisions. For instance, he suggests avoiding tilapia because of its indistinct, muddy flavor, and informs us that the tenderizing of octopus has ethnic variations (Spaniards dip it in a boiling water bath, Greeks hit it against the kitchen sink, and Japanese knead it). His recipes, too, reflect a broad familiarity with world cuisines and, for the most part, are easy to duplicate in American kitchens. Barbara Jacobs


Book Description
Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking is a book that simplifies, once and for all, the process of preparing fish. Organized in an easy-reference, A-Z format, Fish gives you the culinary lowdown on seventy kinds of fish and shellfish commonly found in American supermarkets and fish stores. Each entry describes how the fish is sold (fillets, steaks, whole, salted), other names it goes by, how the fish should look, and buying tips. Fish begins with general guidelines on how to store, prepare, and cook fish, whether sautéing, frying, grilling, or smoking, and you will find easy-to-follow illustrations of such important basics as how to gut and fillet a fish. Fish also includes up-to-the-minute information on the health benefits of fish in our diet. In addition, there are more than five hundred recipes and variations, all of which use low-fat, high-flavor ingredients to accent the intrinsic natures of the individual fish rather than mask them. And the vast majority of the recipes are ready in less than thirty minutes.


From the Back Cover
Winner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals/Julia Child Cookbook Award If you find cooking fish a daunting undertaking, Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking is the book for you. Mark Bittman’s award-winning book, called "the best and most comprehensive fish cookbook of our generation," makes it easy. Organized in an easy-to-use A to Z format, Fish gives you the culinary lowdown on all the fish and shellfish most commonly found in supermarkets and fish stores. Each entry describes how the fish is sold (whether fillets, steaks, or whole), the various names by which it is called, and how it looks when perfectly fresh. Easy-to-follow illustrations of important basics and Bittman’s general guidelines about storing, preparing, and cooking fish by all the popular methods--including grilling, roasting, broiling, and sautéing--tell you all you need to buy and prepare all of your favorite fish and shellfish. Complete with up-to-date information on the health benefits of fish in our diet, Fish contains more than 500 recipes to make it easy to enjoy the wide variety of seafood available today. "The most important fish cookbook in years. Mark Bittman reveals perfect technique and innovative recipes that turn even the novice into a confident cook." --Bobby Flay, cookbook author and host of TV Food Network’s Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay, Food Nation, and Boy Meets Grill "Clearly organized, written in prose as clear as a mountain stream, and packed with practical information and great recipes, Mark Bittman’s Fish is a masterful work. Whether you cook fish once a day or once a year, this is the book that will make it simple, fun, and delicious." --Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby, coauthors, The Thrill of the Grill and License to Grill


About the Author
Mark Bittman is a nationally known authority on cooking and the author of "The Minimalist," the weekly cooking column in the New York Times that has inspired several books. His bestselling cookbook, How to Cook Everything™, won both the Julia Child (IACP) and James Beard awards, and is considered the bible of contemporary home cooking.

ANNOTATION

This comprehensive book details how to buy and store fish, the nutritional benefits of seafood, and general cooking guidelines. Descriptive entries on 70 of the most commonly sold fish and shellfish are accompanied by 25 recipes for each. 70 line drawings; two 8-page color inserts.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking is a book that simplifies, once and for all, the process of preparing fish. Organized in an easy-reference, A-Z format, Fish gives you the culinary lowdown on seventy kinds of fish and shellfish commonly found in American supermarkets and fish stores. Each entry describes how the fish is sold (fillets, steaks, whole, salted), other names it goes by, how the fish should look, and buying tips. Fish begins with general guidelines on how to store, prepare, and cook fish, whether sauteing, frying, grilling, or smoking, and you will find easy-to-follow illustrations of such important basics as how to gut and fillet a fish. Fish also includes up-to-the-minute information on the health benefits of fish in our diet. In addition, there are more than five hundred recipes and variations, all of which use low-fat, high-flavor ingredients to accent the intrinsic natures of the individual fish rather than mask them. And the vast majority of the recipes are ready in less than thirty minutes.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Bittman organizes this more than ample book into short sections devoted to individual fish: technical information on how to handle a lobster, for instance, is combined with consumer buying tips, then followed by nine recipes. Usefully, the author, executive editor of Cook's Illustrated , holds his commentary down to a sober minimum--he doesn't often opt for chat or reader entertainment. Instead, unveiling the basics about 70 fish, he provides tried-and-true fare for the table--Dungeness crab salad, marinated grilled salmon--interspersed with more unusual offerings: raw sea bass salad; curried mussels; salmon scallops with garlic confit. Anyone with decent access to a fish market will appreciate (and come to rely on) this substantial overview. Photos not seen by PW . BOMC HomeStyle Book Club alternate; Food and Wine Books selection; first serial to Self magazine. (July)

Library Journal